Dreamers celebrate a week in the life of Kenna

One week ago, Kenna made quite the entrance into the world.

I started that day with an appointment at Maternal Fetal Medicine, the high risk doctor at 9am.  I was admitted to the hospital, complete with gown and IV lines by 10am.  The magnesium sulfate was running hard and fast through my veins by 11am.  By noon I had my first meeting with the anesthesiologist.  By 1pm I was meeting with my doctor and the neonatologist.  A team was assembled and I was getting prepped for the OR by 2pm.  When 3pm came around, the spinal was begun.

Kenna was born at 3:40pm.

And that's when the real excitement began.  I was still getting sewn up and stapled shut as the doctor came over and talked to me about Kenna.  She was intubated.  Sam was able to be with her, just like I had requested, just like we talked about and planned.  He took a video of her for me.  If you ask him about that experience, about getting to be with his daughter, he will tell you that she grabbed his finger and squeezed.  He was so impressed with her strength.  I don't know why.  She was small, but she's mighty.  She is, after all, a product of her parents.

It has been quite the week.

We have had our ups and downs.  We have had these moments where we worried that she wasn't going to make it.  The doctors and nurses kept reminding us that she was the smallest sickest baby they had.  They kept reminding us that she was the tiniest baby they had ever worked on.  She's the smallest living baby my doctor has ever delivered.  And she's been doing this a while. 

But yesterday, the doctor made his daily call and it was different.

He gave us all the regular details.  We heard about her temp and her blood gases and her oxygen saturations and all the other usual details.  And the parting words?

Kenna is turning the corner.

Yes, her kidneys are starting to function better.  Kenna is stable enough that they can talk to us about closing her PDA, unless by some miracle it is closing on its own.  She will be checked again today for bleeds on the brain.  Soon, if everything keeps on as it is, there will be talk of weight gain and feedings.  Soon, if everything continues to go well...we'll get to hold her.

I hate to get ahead of myself.  And I very nearly want to pinch myself.  It's been weeks since I've been happy like this.  I spent weeks on bed rest and sick.  It's about time we have good things going on.

I'm so proud of you, Kenna.  I'm so glad that you are here with us.  I'm so honored that I get to parent you and love you and raise you.  You are our miracle.